Chemical beam epitaxy system

Abstract

A chemical beam epitaxy system including a cylindrical vacuum chamber (32) with wafer heaters (42) affixed about the cylindrical wall, a rotatable wafer holder ring (40) with mounted wafer holders (38) adjacent the wafer heaters (42), and a central rotatble set of gas cells (44) for directing chemical beams (50, 54) across wafers (52) in the wafer holders (38).

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A chemical beam epitaxy system for growth on a semiconductor wafer, comprising: (a) a vacuum chamber;   (b) a wafer holder mounted in said chamber for holding a semiconductor wafer; and   (c) movable gas cells in said chamber, said gas cells including (i) connections to sources of chemical beam gasses external to said chamber, (ii) beam-forming outlets for said gasses within said chamber, (iii) movement apparatus for moving the direction of said outlets so beams emanating from said outlets move across said wafer in said wafer holder.   
     
     
       2. The system of claim 1, further comprising: (a) a wafer heater affixed to said chamber and located so that said wafer holder can hold said wafer adjacent said wafer heater.   
     
     
       3. The system of claim 2, wherein: (a) said wafer holder is movable between positions for said wafer adjacent said heater and adjacent a loadlock on said chamber.   
     
     
       4. A chemical beam epitaxy system for growth on semiconductor wafers, comprising: (a) a cylindrical vacuum chamber;   (b) a plurality of wafer holders attached to a holder ring mounted in said chamber, said holder ring rotatable about the axis of said cylindrical chamber, and said wafer holders for holding semiconductor wafers;   (c) movable gas cells in said chamber and located about the chamber axis, said gas cells including (i) connections to sources of chemical beam gasses external to said chamber, (ii) beam-forming outlets for said gasses within said chamber and aimed radially, (iii) apparatus for rotating the direction of said outlets so beams emanating from said outlets move across wafers held in said wafer holders.   
     
     
       5. The system of claim 4, further comprising: (a) a plurality of wafer heaters affixed to said chamber and located so that said wafer holders can hold said wafers adjacent said wafer heaters.   
     
     
       6. The system of claim 5, wherein: (a) said holder ring is rotatable between positions for said wafers adjacent said heaters and adjacent a loadlock on said chamber.   
     
     
       7. The system of claim 5; wherein: (a) said gas cells may oscillate both along and about the axis of said chamber.